It’s Summer…Almost!!!

With summer almost upon us and most college students getting out of school in early May, I decided to do our first post on one of my all time favorite summer reads. For our first ever Literary Society post we’ll be discussing White Oleander (yes, it’s an Oprah’s Book Club book, but I fell in love with it before Oprah) If you’re thinking you can rent the movie instead of read the book, you’re sorely mistaken; the plot line in the film couldn’t be more different.

White Oleander takes place in my home city of Los Angeles and the surrounding desert areas.The novel follows foster child, Astrid, through a series of tumuluous universes and adventures in southern California all stemming from a split second decision made by her mother, the brilliant yet narcissistic poet, Ingrid Magnussen.

The book centers around the intoxicating heat of the desert, the intriguing lives of the people trapped in the bubble of dirt and grime in a city like LA, and of course the many different female characters portrayed throughout the chapters. Below are the summer fashions I imagine my favorite White Oleander girls wearing…

We’ll start with Starr, my absolute favorite character in the book. Nothing if not an ex-stripper turned born again Christian with a “sin virus”, Starr would never be caught dead outside her trailer without a pair of nice, cameltoe flaunting stretch pants. I imagine something with stirrups in leopard or hot pink would really be her first choice.

Starr would definitely jump on this season’s jumpsuit and body con trend, but definitely nothing too classy. A jumpsuit would need to hug her personal assets and a body con dress with long sleeves wouldn’t work in the blistering heat of the Joshua Tree desert.

Starr most likely wasn’t much of a reader (except for the Bible that is), but she probably listened to Dolly Parton. Starr needs a strong woman to look up to, especially with Ray’s flirting with Astrid, and Dolly is just the woman to fill that kind of role.

Lastly Starr would never leave the house without enormous hair and towering metallic silver Christian Louboutin heels. I can’t say I would either.

The secretly lost, painfully kind, and classy Claire…

The suitcase Claire never got to take on a trip with her husband contained-

1. Oscar de la Renta Party dress – in classic black

2. Audrey-esque Cashmere

3. Basic stripes and trenches a la Francoise

and the arrogant, slightly evil Ingrid…the Norse woman with white hair the color of the poison desert flower.

The poet in hats and airy summer dresses for the Los Angeles heat…

2009 BCBG, Marc Jacobs, Rubin Singer

Ingrid always struck me as somewhat ethereal, a goddess not capable of love.

2007 Rodarte

I would love to tackle all the heroines of this novel, but I have a birthday dinner at Starlite to attend and then a show with Jenny Lewis and Dawes! I’ll leave you with a taste of this fantastic novel:

“The Santa Ana’s blew in hot from the desert, shriveling the last of the spring grass into whispers of pale straw. Only the Oleanders thrived their delicate poisonous blooms, their dagger green leaves. We could not sleep in the dry hot nights, my mother and I. I woke up at midnight to find her bed empty. I climbed to the roof and easily spotted her blond hair like a white flame in the light of the three quarter moon.”

Au Revoir!

xo
Suzanne

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Reading: It’s Summer…Almost!!!